I propose to take Questions Nos. 479 and 481 together.
The European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 - S.I. No. 580 of 2012 gives legal effect to Directive 2011/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 on combating late payment in commercial transactions.
Under these Regulations it is an implied term of every commercial transaction that where a purchaser does not pay for goods or services by the relevant payment date, the supplier shall be entitled to late payment interest on the amount outstanding.
The 2012 Regulations provide that public authorities must pay for goods and services they procure within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice or as specified in a contract (which cannot exceed 30 days). Failure to do so incurs the automatic payment of interest and compensation.
To promote compliance with the legislation, Government Departments and relevant public sector bodies are required to publish on their respective websites, their quarterly payment performance reports. Individual Government Departments are also required to publish the quarterly composite reports covering the bodies under their aegis.
Since 2013, my Department has been collating and publishing the composite quarter returns by Central Government Departments of payments made to their suppliers. This information which has been supplied by each Department relates to payments made to suppliers within 15 days and within 30 days. My Department has since April 2017 collected data on the number of payments incurring late payments interest and compensation.
This table provides the value of late payments interest and compensation paid by each Department since April 2017. It also includes the value of late payments interest and compensation paid by the bodies under the aegis of this Department in the period from April 2017 to December 2019.
|
2017
|
2017
|
2018
|
2018
|
2019
|
2019
|
|
Late Payment Interest
€
|
Comp.
€
|
Late Payment Interest
€
|
Comp
€
|
Late Payment Interest
€
|
Comp
€
|
Agriculture, Food and the Marine
|
1,274
|
3,090
|
932
|
7,100
|
4,258
|
6,610
|
Business, Enterprise & Innovation
|
1,631
|
5,558
|
315
|
2,379
|
908
|
2,808
|
Children & Youth Affairs
|
351
|
500
|
708
|
2,240
|
1,005
|
2,330
|
Communications, Climate Action and Environment
|
2,088
|
4,030
|
1,793
|
7,320
|
3,316
|
6,310
|
Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht
|
165
|
1,580
|
1,415
|
3,130
|
324
|
2,530
|
Defence
|
806
|
3,510
|
1,101
|
6,400
|
1,477
|
4,260
|
Education & Skills
|
327
|
2,750
|
2,375
|
2,639
|
3,002
|
4,550
|
Employment Affairs & Social Protection
|
4,481
|
1,850
|
724
|
2,300
|
804
|
3,010
|
Finance
|
23
|
300
|
70
|
1,380
|
6
|
160
|
Foreign Affairs & Trade
|
184
|
770
|
2,174
|
3,720
|
3,727
|
7,450
|
Health
|
604
|
2,870
|
1,353
|
3,110
|
361
|
2,190
|
Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government
|
567
|
2,380
|
1,240
|
2,240
|
943
|
2,280
|
Justice & Equality
|
253
|
1,260
|
1,085
|
3,920
|
1,030
|
4,870
|
Public Expenditure & Reform
|
126
|
760
|
179
|
1,860
|
309
|
2,078
|
Rural & Community Development
|
0
|
0
|
226
|
1,660
|
19
|
480
|
Taoiseach
|
368
|
300
|
80
|
900
|
272
|
780
|
Transport, Tourism & Sport
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bodies under the aegis of DBEI
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enterprise Ireland
|
2
|
80
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Health & Safety Authority
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Industrial Development Agency
|
3
|
200
|
1,542
|
6,600
|
5,740
|
17,348
|
Irish Auditing & Accounting Supervisory Authority
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
358
|
0
|
National Standards Authority of Ireland
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board
|
1,100
|
3,500
|
1,159
|
1,270
|
210
|
1,180
|
Science Foundation Ireland
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
The Competition & Consumer Protection Commission
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
20
|
560
|